Sonic the Time Sweeper

Whilst it may sound like some Sonic the Hedgehog mixtape, Sonic CD is actually a full-on 2D platformer not too dis-similar from the original Sonic trilogy. The stand out feature of Sonic CD is time-travel; as Dr.Eggman has manipulated time in order to conduct his schemes and it’s up to Sonic to stop him. This is implemented in such a way that speed has a new purpose, as with enough speed and a bit of luck Sonic can travel through time.

The general consensus is that Sonic is allowed to run and do nothing else, which brings us to Sonic Runners. Available on a smartphone near you, Sonic Runners is a free-to-play endless runner combining precise 2D side-scrolling platforming with Sonic’s “Need for Speed” and it’s bloody brilliant.

After over a decade of extinction the Shenmue saga finally rose from the dead when Shenmue 3 was announced at Sony 2015’s E3 conference to overwhelming applause. Since then the series has gathered mainstream attention and while there are many that adore Shenmue there are just as many who have never heard of the cult classics and are wondering what the fuss is all about.

As far as I’m concerned the Shenmue series should be up there with Metal Gear Solid and Legend of Zelda but it was never straight sailing for Shenmue. Whilst the games provided expansive open-worlds rich with life, culture and interaction fuelled by an emotionally driven storyline issues being confined to limited audiences alongside budgeting issues and numerous delays meant that Shenmue never got the time in the spotlight it really deserved.Continue reading →

Every fighting game fan remembers where they were when two of Japan’s biggest fighting franchises announced the biggest crossover of all time! The likes of Ryu and Chun Li facing of against Jin and the Mishima clan was something of a dream.Fast forward a few years later and Street Fighter X Tekken is rarely spoken of and pretty much shunned by the fighting game community. The fact that Capcom went back to release another edition of Street Fighter 4 just proves how unpopular SFXT has become. Continue reading →

For over a decade one game has been more requested than anything. Whenever there was a “Games we want to see”…this game would always be top of the list. Since that cliffhanger ending in 2001 us fans have been waiting for 14 years to complete Ryo Hazuki’s quest to vengeance his father. Every E3 fans would wait for an announcement and every year it never came.

Funding was always the issue. The first game ended being the most expensive game ever at the time and despite being a hit Sega never made any profit from either of first two games. So, understandably Sega have been reluctant to produce a third title and we’ve been stuck in this rut ever since.

The first sign came when series creator Yu Suzuki tweeted that he was at E3 along a picture of a forklift an obvious reference to Ryo’s job in the first game. On 15th June 2015 at Sony’s E3 Conference Yu Suzuki announced what the world had been waiting for…

In case you haven’t heard, for the first time ever, Sega will not be present at this year’s E3 2015 event. As the news spread around the gaming outfit; many were left wondering whether this meant something more? Sega themselves stated the reason was because of their “relocation to Southern California which is occurring at the same time.

It’s no secret that Sega have been struggling for years; focusing more on Japan and mobile gaming leaving only a trickle of games for the home console market. Which begs the question: “Do they even have anything to show at E3?”

For the first time ever; Sega will not be present at the annual E3 gaming Expo.

STEP 1 – “The Sonic series is not what it used to be”. “It just doesn’t feel like the good ol’ days.”

Always be sure start off with the Sonic series’s decline in quality. For example, “Sonic doesn’t control as he did in the good ol’ days.” But don’t elaborate on what you mean by this exactly. Just say it because it’s what everyone else says and you also want to look cool.

STEP 2 – Always reference Mario. Always.

Make Super Mario references whenever possible. There must at least be two Mario references to make a good Sonic review. Be sure to credit anything positive in the game as something borrowed from the Mario franchise and ignore the fact that may not actually be the case.